IT Secretary says further action will be based on Meta’s formal response to the government notice.
Key Highlights
- IT Secretary S. Krishnan said the government will review Meta’s formal reply before deciding on further action.
- MeitY had issued a notice to Meta over alleged Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in Instagram advertisements.
- The ministry directed Instagram to remove advertisements and content facilitating access to CSEAM.
- Meta has reiterated its commitment to combating child exploitation through AI-powered detection and enforcement.
- The company said it removed over 36 million pieces of child exploitation content globally last year.
- The scrutiny follows reports alleging Instagram ads promoted illegal child abuse content.
New Delhi: The Centre will wait for Meta’s formal response to the notice issued over alleged Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) appearing in Instagram advertisements before deciding on further action, IT Secretary S. Krishnan said on Thursday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the CII GCC Business Summit, Krishnan said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) would assess Meta’s official response before determining its next course of action.
The government had served a notice to Meta last week after reports alleged that Instagram advertisements were promoting or facilitating access to child sexual abuse material. Following the notice, MeitY directed Instagram to immediately disable all advertisements and content linked to CSEAM and sought a detailed explanation from the social media company.
In response, Meta published a blog outlining its efforts to combat child exploitation across Facebook and Instagram. The company said it uses AI-powered detection systems alongside human reviewers to identify and remove policy-violating content and advertisements.
Meta described child exploitation as a “horrific crime” and said it continues to invest in technology, strengthen its advertising review systems and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to keep its platforms safe.
According to the company, it removed more than 36 million pieces of child exploitation content and over 4 million suspicious accounts globally last year. In India, Meta said its AI systems removed around 1.6 lakh accounts over the past six months for sharing suspicious links associated with exploitative activity.
The government’s scrutiny follows media reports alleging that Instagram advertisements promoted search terms related to child abuse material and directed users to external platforms where such content was allegedly being sold.
